# How do I track a competitor's federal contract awards? Track by UEI, not by name: collect every UEI the competitor registers under, then query awards for those UEIs on a schedule. USAspending's award search does it free and by hand; this API's /awards?recipient_uei= returns them as JSON, joined to each UEI's registration, for 1 credit per 100 rows. Competitors often hold several UEIs: subsidiaries, acquired firms and separately registered business units.Checked on 2026-11-15.Official source: [USAspending.gov award search](https://www.usaspending.gov/search) | Key | Recipient UEI | | --- | --- | | Awards loaded | 114,954 | | Recipients | 6,935 | | Cost | 1 credit per 100 rows (3x for entity award history) | ## The answer in detail Competitors often hold several UEIs: subsidiaries, acquired firms and separately registered business units. Search their legal name and parent name to build the list, and recheck it quarterly because acquisitions add new ones.Award notices on SAM.gov sometimes appear before the award reaches USAspending, so a keyword or awardee search on award notices catches wins earlier.History is the limit here: 114,954 prime awards with action dates from 1 Oct 2026 to 10 Nov 2026 (fiscal year 2027 so far). For a competitor's last five years, use USAspending directly and keep this API for the ongoing feed. ## How the options compare | Option | Price | Access and limits | Coverage and history | Best for | Checked | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [USAspending API (official)](https://api.usaspending.gov/docs/endpoints) | Free, no key | No key and no published daily cap | Prime awards and subawards back to FY2001; no SAM.gov registration status or expiry | Award and spending history | 2026-11-12 | | [GovCon API (govconapi.com)](https://govconapi.com/pricing) | Developer $19/mo, Pro $39/mo; 14-day trial | 1,000 requests an hour (50 a minute burst); trial 50 a day | 12,265,150 contracts and 758,552 opportunities from FY2025; 904,090 entities, monthly | Developers who want the lowest entry price and FY2025+ history | 2026-11-15 | | [HigherGov](https://www.highergov.com/pricing/) | Starter $500/yr, Standard $2,500/yr, Enterprise custom | API on paid plans; 10,000 records a month as its API page stated on 12 Nov 2026 | Opportunities, awards, awardees, IDVs and forecasts in a search UI with exports | Small BD teams who want a polished search UI | 2026-11-15 | | [GovTribe](https://govtribe.com/pricing) | $1,900 per seat a year ($1,200 at 6+ seats); Pro $2,100 | AI and MCP included with 5,000 credits per seat (10,000 on Pro); no self-serve REST API on its pricing page | Vendors, awards, opportunities, grants and IDVs in a seat-based workspace | Capture teams that work inside one shared workspace | 2026-11-15 | | [samgovapi.io](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) | Free (100 credits a month, no card); Developer $49/mo, Pro $149/mo, Scale $499/mo | 20 to 180 requests a minute by plan, no daily cap; REST, MCP and keyless MCP search | 881,370 entities (1 Nov 2026 extract), 74,420 notices, 169,191 exclusions, 114,954 awards since 1 Oct 2026 | Developers and AI agents who want entities, bids and exclusions joined in one API | 2026-11-15 | ## Where samgovapi.io is the weaker choice - Award history is short: 114,954 prime awards with action dates from 1 Oct 2026 to 10 Nov 2026 (fiscal year 2027 so far). USAspending goes back to FY2001 and GovCon API serves 12.27 million contracts from FY2025. ## Try it New awards for a list of UEIs since a date; run weekly. ``` import os, requests key = os.environ["SAMGOVAPI_API_KEY"] for uei in ["UAVDK5WWYDZ5", "QDFNQQ83G946"]: r = requests.get("https://samgovapi.io/api/v1/awards", params={"recipient_uei": uei, "action_from": "2026-11-01"}, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {key}"}, timeout=30) for a in r.json()["data"]: print(uei, a.get("piid"), a.get("awarding_agency"), a.get("obligated")) ``` ## Questions Can I get an alert when a competitor wins?Yes, with a saved alert on Pro or a weekly scheduled query on any plan.Do subcontract awards show up?Only if reported as subawards; most subcontracts under the reporting threshold never appear. ## Related - [Recipe: track a competitor's awards](https://samgovapi.io/agents/recipes/track-a-competitors-awards) - [Contract awards](https://samgovapi.io/awards) - [API docs](https://samgovapi.io/docs) - [Pricing](https://samgovapi.io/pricing) - [Answers](https://samgovapi.io/answers)Updated 2026-11-15. Sources checked 2026-11-15.Independent. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by GSA, SAM.gov or any U.S. government agency. Registering in SAM.gov is free at sam.gov.

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